11-year-old Hendersonville girl dies from flu

Her death followed state's announcement of another pediatric flu death

Jan. 10, 2014

Savannah Hyden

Written by

The Tennessean

Flu prevention tips

• Vaccinations to protect against the flu are available at doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, community health centers and county health departments. • All vaccines protect against H1N1, which is the predominant strain in circulation this year. • It takes about two weeks for a flu vaccination to provide maximum protection.

Fund set up for family

Donations to help her family with funeral arrangements and medical bills can be made to the Savannah Memorial Fund at any Regions bank. Online donations can go to www.gofundme.com/65dv4k or at www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/savannah-hyden-/124424.

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An 11-year-old Hendersonville girl has died of complications from the flu, according to family and hospital reports, and is the latest in a growing number of flu deaths that has public health officials worried.

Savannah Hyden died at 5:04 p.m. Wednesday at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, according to a hospital spokesman. She had not received a flu vaccination, her parents said.

“She was brilliant in every aspect,” said Steven Hyden, her father. “We have really taken a big loss. ... She could have been the president.”

She was a gifted student who loved playing the clarinet and creating art from blown glass, he said.

Natasha Renee Fiser, her mother, said that after being sickened with the flu, Savannah developed a bacterial infection that resulted in cardiac arrest.

“She was down for too long, there was no oxygen to her brain, and her organs just started shutting down,” Fiser said.

It’s hard comprehending how a healthy child can get so sick in three days that she ends up on life support, she said.

Hyden said he didn’t get the girl vaccinated because he was worried about side effects.

“It’s such a tough decision for the parent,” he said.

“You only think that’s for the weak and the elderly — those that don’t have the immunity to fight it off,” Fiser said. “You would never imagine that a healthy child really would need the flu shot at all.”

Everyone 6 months or older — with rare exceptions — should get vaccinated for the flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Parents who worry about exposing their children to thimerosal can ask for a preservative-free form of the vaccine. All nasal-spray vaccines are preservative-free and so are some that are injected. However, no convincing scientific evidence exists showing that the amount of thimerosal found in some vaccines causes serious side effects, according to the CDC.

Although the effectiveness of the vaccine can vary from year to year, health officials say getting a shot is the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from influenza. Health officials are urging Tennesseans to get flu vaccinations.

The predominant flu virus in circulation this year is H1N1, which first emerged in 2009. In Tennessee, 15 deaths among people younger than 18 occurred during the 2009-10 season, which compares with two or three deaths during a typical flu season, said Dr. Kelly Moore, director of immunizations for the Tennessee Department of Health.

Second child victim

Savannah died after the Tennessee Department of Health on Wednesday reported another death of someone under the age of 18 from flu complications. On Thursday, state health officials reported a second pediatric death. Due to privacy concerns, the state agency does not identify the names of the deceased or disclose the locations of the deaths.

At least 10 people in the Nashville area, including Savannah, have died from complications of the flu so far this flu season.

A celebration of Savannah’s life is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Lifehouse Event Center in Hendersonville.

Donations to help her family with funeral arrangements and the medical expenses can be made, at any Regions bank, to the Savannah Memorial Fund. Online donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/65dv4k or at www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/savannah-hyden-/124424.

She had no medical insurance, her parents said.

A sixth-grade student at Knox Doss Middle School at Drakes Creek, Savannah was a “really bright student” who was well-liked by teachers and students, according to Sumner County Schools spokesman Jeremy Johnson.

“This is someone who was seen as a joy to be around,” he said. “She was a really, really happy little girl.”

Grief counselors were on hand at the school Thursday and were expected to return today, he said.

Johnson said Savannah was active in the school’s band and that sixth-grade students were taking her death especially hard.

Johnson said that since Savannah contracted the flu during the school’s winter break, there was no concern it posed a threat to other students. But the district will monitor the situation.

Tena Lee of Gannett Tennessee contributed to this report. Contact Tom Wilemon at twilemon@tennessean.com or 615-726-5961.